Automatic electric block-signal system



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Patented June 19, 1888.

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T. D. WILLIAMS & J. S. LUOOGK AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC BLCCK SICNAL SYSTEM.

No. 384,810. Patented June 19, 1888.

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T. D. 'WILLIAMS & J. S. LUGOCK. AUTOMATIC ELECTEIC BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM.

No. 384.810. PALenLeCJune 19, V1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, OF ALLEGHENY CITY, AND JOHN S. LUCOCK, OF BELLEUE, ASSIGNORS OF THREE-FIFTHS TO JAMES W. CLARK, GEORGE M. EITEMILLER, AND GEORGE MORRIS, ALL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY,

PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC BLOCK-SIGNAL SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION `forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,810, dated J une 19, 1888.

Application tiled February 9. 1888. Serial No. 263,539. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, THoMAs D. WILLIAMS, of Allegheny City, and JOHN S. LUoocK, of Bellevue borough, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Electric Block Signal Systems; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being io` had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which* Figure 1 is a sketch illustrating the arrangement of the coils ofa differentially-wound polarized relay. Fig. 2 represents the operative i 5 parts of the signal, Fig. 3 represents the ar rangement of the sectional linecircuits and differentially-wound polarized relays in relation to each other and to asingle-track railway, the signals being omitted. Fig. 4 represents the arrangement of 1ine-wires, differentially-wound polarized relays, local circuits, and signals composing our block-signal system of a continued series of sectional line-circuits. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a dierentially-V wound polarized relay with the local battery and circuit and the operative parts of the signal. Fig. 6 shows an arrangement for changing the connections of the terminals ofthe battery by means of the reversing-lever of the locomotive. Fig. 7 illustrates the application of our improvement to one of the tracks of a double-track railway. Fig. 8 shows a modilied device for securing connection between the terminals ofa moving battery and the line circuit wires.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.

Our improvement is applicable to railways having one or more main tracks, but is specially useful in its application to a single main track, because it operates automatically from the train, and as the train enters each separate section of the railroad it can operate simultaneously four semaphores or other sighals, two on the right-hand side and two on the left-hand side of the track,as will be herei inafter more fully explained.

The operation of our improvement is based trainvor at the bloclcstations, so that by put- `ting the positive pole of the battery or dynamo in electrical connection with any electromag y netically-operated signal the action of the 4signal will be precisely the reverse of what it is when such connection is with the negative pole of thebattery or dynamo. From this it 6o is obvious not only that any such signal can be operated in either direction (to indicate either safety 7 or danger7) from the passing train by' merely bringing one or other pole ofthe battery or dynamo in electrical connection with the signal, but that also in case of trainsA moving on the same track in opposite direcy tions and both having the positive pole of the battery or dynamo on the left-hand side ofthe train (for example) or on opposite sidesof the track the signals will be yoperated in reverse directions by the two trains. From this it also follows that the amount of connecting` wire used isgreatly reduced and the entire apparatus is very much simpliiied. As we purpose to secure a separate patent for the modified construction and arrangement irl.n volved in the use of stationary batteries or dynamos, we shall in this specification confine our description to the use of a battery or other source of electrical energy located on sonic part ofthe train and moving therewith.

By the term differentially wound as applied to a relay we mean that each leg of the core of the electro-magnet has two separate wires wound in opposite directions, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings,in. i

which x and zu are the two legs of the relay, (shown in crosssectiou in Fig. 1,) and a and b the two wires. One, a, starting at the binding-post A, is wound around x and in one and the same direction, while the wire b, starting at binding-post B, is wound around both legs in the opposite direction. The wellknown effect of this arrangement is that a positive current passed through the coil a, connected with the battery at A, will have an opposite magnetizing effect on the polarized cores x x from a positive current passed through the coil b, connected with the battery at B, and also that a current passed from A over the coil a will lia-ve the same magnetizing effect the road of electrically-operated signals, the

distance between them being a matter of convenience. In a singletrack road, which we shall first describe, one such signal is placed on each side of the track T, the two signals being substantially opposite to each other. For convenience we designate one side T, the cast side, and the other side T', the west side of the track. The signal-stations are nurnbered l 2 3, 86e., the evcn-numbered stations being on the east side and the odd numbered stations on the west side of the track.

The signal used may be of any description operated by electro-magnetism. That which we have shown in Fig. 2 is one in which a semaphore-arm, G, is pivoted at c and has a counterbalancing-weight, d, which tends to raise the arm to ahorizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2. A lever,e, which is also the armature of an electro-magnet, f, is pivoted at g to the frame or case of the signal, and its free end is connected at h to the under side of the semaphore-arm, so that when the core of the electro-1nagnetf is magnetized it draws down its armature e, causing the semaphore-arm C to be depressed, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which indicates safety,77 while the elevated position which the semaphore arm assumes by gravity when the electro-magnet ceases to act indicates danger.

As stated, the track of the railway may be continuous, or as much so as is usual. On each side of the track, and preferably outside of the rails, are short bars or rails It R', which are insulated in any convenient manner from any ground-connection.

On t-he track between the rails T T in Fig. 3 is represented by the usual sign a battery, MB,`which is supposed to be located on a locomotive or on the tender or any of the cars of a train, the arrow adjacent to MB indicating the direction in which the train carrying the battery MB is moving. In Fig. 4 two such batteries are shown, with arrows pointing toward each other, .indicating two similarly-equipped trains traveling toward each other on the same track. The electric generator'used may be a battery or dynamo, as may be preferred; but by the term battery 7 as used in this specification we mean either.

Our system is composed of a number of sectional line-circuits, there being one complete line-circuit for two half-sections which are on opposite sides of the road, and one half-section being immediately in advance of the other.

bars R B.

yplace in thev cu rrcnt.

In Fig. 3 two complete sectional line-circuits (without the signals) are shown, the line-wire of one being shown in unbroken and the other in broken lilies. Each of these sectional linecircuits is divided into two normally-disconnected halves, one half being on one side of the railroad-track and the other orcorresponding half-section on the other side, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and each half terminating at the short rails or insulated bars R R. These two half-sections are electrically connected and the electric circuit established in each sectional line-circuit whenever a locomotive or car properly equipped with a battery reaches the point of the track situate between the two insulated This is accomplished by means of two metallic brushes, F F', or equivalent device,(see Fig. 6,) connected one with each pole of the locomotive-battery and forming contact with the insulated bars R R', respectively, as they pass over them. This condition of things is shown in Fig. 3, in which'the locomotivebattery MB, traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, forms contact at its positive pole with the bar R on the west side of the track and at its negative pole with the bar R on the east side of the track. This sectional circuit is now complete, beginning at ground Gr2 (station 2) and following the wire w to station 4, thenceby wire w to insulated bar R and to negative pole ofbattery, thence to positive pole of battery, thence to insulated bar R on west side of track, thence by wire wz to station 3, thence by wire w3 to station 5, and to ground at G5. This arrangement is repeated on every section on both sides of the track, as shown in Fig. 3.

Connected with each signal C at every station is a local battery, LB, and circuit t' fi, (see Fig. 4,) with a local electro-magnet, f, (shown in Fig. 2,) by which, when the magnet is energized by closing the local circuit, the semaphore-arm C is drawndown, as before described, to indicate safetyf When, on the other hand, the local circuit is opened by the circuit-breaker, the local electro magnet releases its armature, and the semaphore-arm C is set by gravity to danger.

Each local circuit is closed and opened at the contact-points p p", the armature of the relay S of the .sectional line-circuit operating' to open and close the local circuit by the attraction ofthe armature E of the relay in one direction or the other, which brings itin contact with one or other of thetwo contact-pointspp, and the armature being retained in that position by the polarized cores until a change takes There is a polarized relay S at each station, which is differentially wound, which is an important factor in the operation of our improved circuit.

Around the legs of the core of the relay-magnet are wound two coils, s t, one of which, s, for convenience,we shall designate as the upper7 vand the other, t,as the lower coil. These coils are insulated from each other and wound in any IOO IIO

ige

wound in one direction and the other coil in the opposite direction around the legs of the magnet, as shown in Fig. 5, this arrangement of coils being the same in each relay. In each sectional line-circuitthere are four such differentially-wound polarizedrelays, (which, for con- Venience,we shall hereinafter describe as diiierential relays,) each of which is also electrically connected with another sectional line-circuit. This will be best understood by reference to Fig. 3, in which the ground-wire ofthe circuit, commencing at G2, (station 2,) is connected with the lower winding,t,ot` the relay S2. The wire w connects the said lower winding,t,with

the upper winding, s, of the relay Si, and wire' each station the connection of the linewiretto the upper or lower coils ofthe differential relay detcrmines the setting of the signal to safety or danger, and that on one side of the track, if the connection with the upper coil of the differential relay sets the signals to safety, the connection with the upper coil on the opposite side of the track sets the signal to danger when operated by a train moving in the same direction, while in a train moving in the opposite direction the operation ofthe signals is reversed, and, also, that all the signals connected with the lower winding of the coils are operated, under otherwise similar circumstances, in the opposite direction to those connected with the upper winding when the current is ofthe same sign, it being understood, also, that all the upper coils are wound in one direction and the lower coils in the op posite direction, as it is the direction of the Windingand not the relative position of the coils (as upper or lower) that determines the action of the current on the circuit-closers of the local circuit, and thereby on the signals, the terms upper and lower winding being used merely for convenience.

In describing the connection of the sectional circuits with the relays, as shown in Fig. 3,we harefollowed only the circuit indicated by unbroken lin(s,which,it will be noticed, connects only with one winding of cach relay. The

other winding in such case is, however, connected with the line-wire'of an adjoining sectional circuit, as indicated by dotted lines. For example, in one sectional circuitthe linewires (marked w w', &c.) connect at station 4 with the upper winding, s, of the relay S, while the lower winding, t, of that relay is connected with the wire w of an adjoining circuit, and so in each of the relays one winding or coil is connected with onesectional circuit and the other winding or coil with a separate and adjoining circuit. This will be better un- `not to enter upon that section;

derstood by reference `to Fig. 3 and tracing the connections formed by the unbroken and y by the dotted lines, respectively. y

The operation of our system is shown in Fig. 4, which illustrates the action of thesignals as effected by two trains running in opposite directions toward each other on the same track.

In this ligure the signals are so disposed that those on the righthand side of eachtrainare those by which each train is to be regulated. In this figure the train indicated by MB, travcling in the direction of the arrow, arrives at stations?) and 4 between ,theinsulated barsR It. The brushes on the locomotive (or battery-car) complete the circuit, and the effect is as follows: The` negative current from Gr2 at ,station 2 passes over the lower coil of relay S2,

the relay S, the upper coil of which it trav` t erses, causing the contactsp of the localcir-` cuit at that point to close, se' ting the signal Ci" at station 3 so as to indicate safety77 The current then passes along wirewi to thelower -winding ofthe relay S, causing the contactp' of the local circuit at that point to open and causing the semaphoresignal C5 on the lefthand side at station 5 to be set to dangerJ7 By this means whenever atrain is on any section of the road between two block-signals the signal 'to its right at itsrear is set to 1 danger and the signal to its left in front ofit is set to cl-anger, so as to serve as a warning to any trains coming to meet it, and, besides IOO this, as soon as a train has passed a station at which a danger-signal has been set on its lefthand side that signal is immediately reversed and set to indicate safetyg but suppose that another train (marked in Fig. 4 by MB) is traveling, as indicated by the arrow, to

meet the first train, MB. Then the connection of the poles of the battery M B in relation to the circuits is the. reverse of that before described in relation to M B, and the train MB having reached the lsignal-station 7, next but one to that on which the train MB had entered, the effect is as follows: The negative c urrent, starting at G, (station 9,) traverses the lower winding ofthe relay S9, closing the contact of that local circuit and setting the signal at station 9 to safety The current then trav-` erses the upper coil of relay S7 at `station 7, opening the contacts of that local circuit and setting the semaphorearm at station 7 (to the right of train MB) to tl-anger. The current then crosses the track by the battery, and the positive current traverses the upper winding of the relay Si at station 8, closes the local circuit at the point, setting the signal to safety,7 and thence to the lower winding of the relay S, at station G, opening the contact of the local circuit and setting the signal CG to (langei.7 This signal at station No. 6, being located to the right ot' the tirst train, MB, serves as a warning to it of au approaching train on the section immediately ahead ot' it.

It is sometimes necessary or convenient to run a train backward, and when this is the case the right-hand side ofthe locomotive, on which we have supposed the negative pole of the battery to be placed, becomes 'for the time the left-hand side, and in order to accommodate the apparatus to this change it is only necessary to place a switch or other polechanging arrangement in connection with the battery, by which the connections of the positive and negative poles of the battery will be reversed by merely moving aswitch or key, and when this is done the operation of the apparatus when the train is running backward will be the same as before described.

In Fig. 6 an arrangement is shown by which, when the battery is placed on the locomotive or adjacent tender or car, the change of terminals may be effected by the reversing-lever of the engine. This gure represents one rail, It, of a track and a locomotive and tender. The battery is supposed to be located on the tender, although it may be placed on the locomotive or on any car in the train. On each side of the tender (or car carrying the battery) is a lever, F2, pivoted at its center to a shaft or stationary bearing. At each extremity of each lever is a metallic brush, F and F, which, when the lever is in a horizontal position, are both raised clear of the track or rail R; but whenever the horizontal arm of the lever is de'- pressed in either direction one ofthe brushes, F or F, is moved into contact With the rail R, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. Onebrush, F, of each pair is' electrically connected with the positive and the other, F', with the negative pole of the battery. The two levers, one on each side of the tender, are connected together by being attached to a common shaft or otherwise, so that they are moved simultaneously by the operation ofthe reversing-arm Z of the locomotive through the medium of interposed levers K K, e., so that whenever the engine of the locomotive is reversed to change the direction of running of the train the polarity of the terminals ot the battery is changed.

VThe brushes F F' on both sides ofthe track are so connected with the poles of the battery that when the positive brush on one side is in contact with one rail the negative brush on the other side is brought into contact with the other rail, and so that when the brushes are reversed on one side and in relation to one track they are also reversed on the other side and in relation to the other track. By the term rail7 in this connection we mean either the insulated rail which forms a part of the railroad track or the insulated rail-section placed alongside of the track, as before described. The effect of this arrangement is such that when thelocomotivc is running forward the connection of the terminals of the battery with the rails is the reverse of that which exists when the locomotive is run backward, and that this change of terminals is effected at the same time and by the same lever as that which effects the reversal of the engine. Instead of connecting this pole-changing apparatus with the reversing-arm of the locomotive, the arm Z may be a separate lever, extending to or into any carriage of the train. Such arrangement may be readily modified to suit the requirements of the particular blocksignal system to which it is applied.

We will now proceed to explain the arrange ment of our system when applied to a railroad having more than one track and on which trains run only in one direction. On such a track the only function required ofthe blocksignal system is thatas` a train passes any block-station the signal at that station shall be setto danger and the signal immediately in the rear, which before had been set to danger,7 should now be set to safety. The arrangement of the circuits and signals for this purpose is shown in Fig. 7, in which the same letters are used as in the ligure representing the system applied to a single track. The arrangement of the circuits in the figure will be readily understood from t-hat which has gone before. SandSltai-e differentiallywound 'polarized relays, each of which is placed at the end of one section and at the beginning of another. Thus the line-wire ofsection lO connects at itslforward end with one coil, (say the upper winding) of the relay Sm, while the rear end of the linewire in section 1l connects with the lower winding of the same relay, Slo, and at its forward end connects with the up per winding of relay S, and the line-wire of section 12 connects with the lower winding of relay'Su. Connected with the relay at each station is a local battery, LB, and circuit z i, Sie., the contact-points of which are opened and closed by the armature E of the relay, as before described. The semaphoresignal may also be constructed and operated as before mentioned in reference to the single-track system. The shortinsulated bar R needs only to be placed on one side of the track when the track is used only foar trains running in one direction.

IOO

The battery or dynamo placed on the loeomotive-battery reaching, for example, station 11, as shown in Fig. 7, the negative current follows the wire w and connects with the upper coil, s, of the polarized relay S, which attracts its armature to the right, opens the contacts p p', and, breaking the local circuit, de- Inagnetizes the semaphore-magnet, and, releasing its armature, allows the signal C to rise by gravity to a position indicating danger,7 thus protecting the rear of the section 12, in which the train has just entered, and at the same time the current from the negative pole of the battery, following the line-wire w', connects with the lower winding of the polarized relay S10, and passes thence to ground at G10. rlhe passage of the current through the lower coils attracts the relayarmature to the left, closes the contacts p p' of the local circuit at station 10, and draws down the armature of the semaphore-magnet, setting the signal C10 for safety.7 In the double-track system, as well as in the single-track system before described, the relays, being polarized, retain the armature in the position to which it is drawn by the passage of the main-line current over the upper or lower coil of the relay, as the ease may be, until the attraction is changed by the reversal of the character of attraction of the current, as before described.

In place of using insulated rails B R', as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it may be preferred to insulate a short portion of the track in a manner well known and heretofore practiced, the insulated portion of the track being short enough to be contained within the spacebetween the forward and rear trucks of a car. In this case, instead of a brush, a small wheel, m, in circuit with a battery, (see Fig. 8,) may be located midway between the trucks and low enough to come in contact with the insulated rail, the operation being otherwise precisely the same as before described in connection with the insulated bars placed parallel to and either inside or outside of the railroad-track.

In our improved apparatus, where a battery is used, a dynamo or other source of electric energy may be substituted therefor as an equiv-` alent, and we desire to cover such substitution in the claims. Other substitutions of ecluiva` lents may be made. For exam ple,suitable links l or levers may be substituted for gearing, and

fo two adjoining circuits or sections and each arranged in connection with a local battery and circuit to open and close the same for the purpose of operating an electric signal at each end of such circuit or section in the same or opposite direetions,according to the windings or coils with which such line-wires are connected, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a blocksignal system for railways, of a battery of line-wires and four or Vmore differentially-wound relays placed on opposite sides of a railway-track, each such relay being connected with and op-` erating an electrically-operated signal,` said relays `and wires being arranged to run `from ground at one station through the lower coil of the first such relay, thence to thenext station and through the upper coil of the second such relay, and thence to an insulated portion of the railroad-track and on the opposite side of said track from an insulated portion thereof to a third differentially-wound polarized relay atthe station opposite to that last named and through the upper coil thereof, and thence to a fourth such relay at the next station and through the lower coil thereof to ground, the circuit between the two sides of the track, which is normally broken, heilig made or completed by the arrival of a train at the point between the second and third stations, substantially as described.

3. The arrangement of two or more linecircuits consisting of line-wires and differentiallywound polarized relays connected together in series by connecting one coil of each such polarized relay at each station with the linefwire of one circuit and the other coil of the same relaywith the line-wire of the next adjoining circuit, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a blocksignal system for railways, the combination, with a source of electrical energy, of insulated rails `forming part of or placed near to the railroad-track, four differ; entially-wound polarized relays, two at ad joining stations on one side of the trackA and two 'at adjoining stations at the other side, connected together, excepting between the rails of the track, by a line wire or wiresconnected with one or other of the coils of such relays, according to the relative directionin which the signal at each station is to be operated, a local battery and circuit at each s ta-V tion, the circuit of which is made or broken by the armature of the polarized relay, and an electrically-operated signal at each station,th e same being arranged and operated substantially as described. t

5. The combination, with the line-wires of the circuits of a railroadblocksignal system, and with a battery or batteries, of differentially-wound polarized relays arranged in connection with the electrically-operatedblockf "signals and the local battery and circuit` ICO IIO

of the relay, and having the other end located between contact-points to make and break the local batterycircnit, a local electro-magnet, and block-signal operated mediately or immediately by the armature thereof, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The combination, With a battery located on the locomotive, tender, or other car of a train, of two pairs ot' metallic brushes or contacts mechanical] y connected with such car, so as to be movable to and from contact with the rails of the truck, one brush of each pair being electrically connected with the positive and the other with the negative pole of the battery,and furnished with intermediate gearing for bringing one brush of each pair, having opposite signs, into contact with the opposite rails of the railroad-track,respectively, and for reversing them at pleasure by moving the lever in one direction or the other, and thus changing the direction ofthe electric current, substantial] y as described.

8. The combination, with a battery located on the locomotive, tender, or car, of metallic brushes or contacts connected, respectively, with the positive and negative poles of the battery, the lever for reversing the engine of the locomotivaand levers interposed between and connected with said brushes and reversing-lever and capable of operating the brushes to bring alternately the positive and negative pole brushes in contact with the rails of the track, substantially as described, so that the engineer,when reversing his engine, shall also reverse the direction of the electric current to operate the electric block-signals in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands this lst day of February,A. D. 1888.

THOMAS D. WILLIAMS. JOHN S. LUCOCK. Witnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, JNO. K. SMITH. 

